WHO: Pandemic unlikely

The National Health Watch

LONDON: The World Health OrganiSation (WHO) says the monkeypox outbreak outside Africa will not lead to a pandemic, an official has said, adding it’s still unclear if infected people who are not displaying symptoms can transmit the disease.
Key points:

  • DECLARING a pandemic, like as was done for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and Ebola, would help accelerate research and funding to contain the disease;
  • THE strain of virus implicated in the outbreak is understood to kill a small fraction of those infected, but no deaths have been reported; and,
  • A WHO expert says the spread of disease does not mean people should shun the LGBTQ+ community.

More than 300 suspected and confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in May, mostly in Europe.

– ABC News